Rabbi Zvi Kogan was murdered after a kidnapping plan to Oman went awry.

December 1, 2024   

New details about the circumstances of the kidnapping and murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a Chabad emissary in the United Arab Emirates, last Thursday. Jerusalem wants mountain air: These are the vehicles that are banned from entering the city The Wall Street Journal reported today (Sunday) that a person involved in the kidnapping investigation told the newspaper that the kidnappers' goal was to travel with a Chabad emissary to neighboring Oman. However, something went wrong during the kidnapping attempt and the plan did not work out - which led them to murder him near the border. His body was eventually found in the trunk of a car near the border, on the Emirati side. The investigation into the murder shows that Rabbi Kogan left his home on Thursday morning, November 21, as planned for another normal day. He got into his car, drove through the kosher supermarket in Dubai where he worked, and corresponded with friends via text messages. However, he did not show up for a dental appointment that he had scheduled for the afternoon, and after a while he was out of contact, his wife Rivki began to worry and informed the Jewish community and the community's security officer, who called the authorities. At that time, Kogan had already been kidnapped and was traveling with the terrorists to neighboring Oman, following a request from the authorities. An official investigation was opened, which led to the discovery of Rabbi Kogan's body about three days later. Friends and family of Rabbi Kogan said that the exact circumstances surrounding his murder are still unclear. Last week, the UAE Ministry of Interior published (Mon) photos of the murderers - Olymbay Tuhairovich, 28, Mahmoud John Abd al-Rahim, 28, and Azizat Kamelovich, 33, all three born in Uzbekistan. The murderers managed to flee the Emirates to Turkey, before being captured and extradited back to the Emirates.